The Midnight Man
by wispykitty
Summary: Patch's parents are away for the weekend, leaving Ace and Patch planning a game for their friends! The Midnight Game - summoning an evil spirit into their house to stalk them in the dark! Who takes it seriously, and who decides to prank the others? (Also features Melody & Bon Bon)
1. The Set Up

**Title** The Midnight Game  
**Characters** Ace, Patch, Melody, Teddy, Bon Bon, Lancer  
**Warning** Mature content (dealing with occult-like practices)  
**Notes** This is a prequel of sorts to my story Friendship's Treasure, set before the kids go to camp. They are all either 12 or 13 in this.

* * *

"Bad news," Patch said, sitting down on the bleachers next to the captain of her soccer team – who also happened to be one of her best friends. She'd just arrived at the field after talking to her parents (okay, it was really more that they'd had a brief yelling match) and was in no mood for practice.

"You better not say that you can't make the game," Ace replied, head turned to watch her sit down. Patch was the only girl who played on the team – but she was one of the best players. She played next to Ace in the midfield and he did not want to have to replace her with someone else. "Logan had to pull out with an injury, so we're already down our best defender."

Patch frowned and felt annoyed all over again. "My parents are going to visit some relatives this weekend and decided that I get to come with them," she said with a sarcastic tone. It wasn't that she disliked her family – but these relatives were her least favourite, plus she had an important game to play in!

"They won't let you stay by yourself?" Ace asked, even though he already knew the answer to that.

"Nope. I begged my mom for ten minutes, then she just yelled at me that they weren't going to let me stay by myself," she replied, still annoyed – even though she felt kind of bad for yelling at her mother. She wasn't that type of kid.

"Can't you stay with Melody?" Ace suggested, desperate to not lose his vice-captain.

"I could have asked, but I know the twins are sick, and the last thing I want to do is catch chicken-pox." It was just unfair. Patch thought she was old enough to stay on her own – she'd turned thirteen a month ago, after all! But her parents didn't trust her on her own for that long.

"Well, you can stay at my house," Ace offered, "My parents don't care. Probably won't be around, anyway, but your mom doesn't have to know that."

"Why didn't I think of that?" Patch replied, annoyed at herself now. "That should be okay, I mean, my mom loves you."

"Plus it's for a very important cause," Ace stated, "We are currently tied with Bluffs, so whoever wins this game is almost guaranteed to win the district. Why don't we talk to your parents after practice?"

Patch agreed. "I'll let you do the asking, just make sure you open with a compliment," she said with a wink. Ace grinned and laughed before the two got up to join their team mates on the field.

* * *

"I don't know if you're aware of how important Patch is to the team, Mrs. Munroe," Ace said, doing his best to sound desperate (which didn't require much acting). "We absolutely need her for this game."

Beatrice Munroe stood with her arms crossed and regarded the two kids in front of her – her daughter (who, she supposed, usually never asked for anything) and her best friend. She'd always had a bit of a soft spot for Ace and happened to see a lot of him, since he lived down the road. "Alright, fine. Patch you can stay with Ace, as long as it's okay with your parents."

"No problem!" Ace said, "I can ask my mom to stop by and talk to you, if you want?"

Beatrice shook her head and smiled. "No dear, that's fine, your mother is probably busy. I'll leave our contact information though in case your parents need to get a hold of us." She watched as the two young teenagers reacted happily to the news, pleased that they'd been able to reach a happy compromise. Maybe it was a bit weird to let her thirteen year old daughter stay over at a boy's house, but the pair were really more like brother and sister than anything else.

* * *

Friday afternoon found Ace and Patch leaving school with their friends, currently trying to recruit more of them over for an idea they'd brewed up during the week.

"I don't know, Patch, my mom is usually pretty strict when it comes to me staying over at friend's houses," Bon Bon replied. "She knows your parents are away, so whose house can I stay over at?"

"Melody's," Patch suggested, sure her other best friend wouldn't hesitate to help out.

"But aren't the twins sick?" Bon Bon replied, hesitant about lying to her parents.

Starlight, who'd overheard the conversation, walked up to the group. "You need a place to pretend you're staying at for the night?" she asked, knowing why. Ace had already asked her if she wanted to spend the night at Patch's parent-free house, but she'd had to decline. Her cousins were visiting, so she'd have to stick around the house for the weekend.

"Can she pretend-stay with you, Starlight?" Patch asked, not even giving Bon Bon a chance to answer.

"Sure," Starlight said, winking at Bon Bon. "My mom will even cover for you if needed, she's good like that."

"Come on, Bon Bon," Ace pressured, "Everything is set now. You know Teddy will be bothered if you don't come," he added with a grin. The pair had just started dating three weeks ago.

Bon Bon glared at Ace. "I'm not doing this for Teddy!" she replied, though of course part of her was excited by the prospect of being in a parent-less house with her boyfriend. "But okay, fine. I'll tell my mom I'm staying at Starlight's." She looked at the other girl then, hoping this would indeed work. "Are you sure your mom is okay with lying for me?"

"Of course," Starlight replied, "She's done it for Melody a bunch of times," she said, winking at Ace.

"She has? When and why?" Ace asked, pretending to be upset. Starlight liked to tease him about Melody. She just shrugged and refused to answer.

"Okay then, excellent! So that makes the three of us, Teddy, and Melody. Starlight can't come, sadly, and Sweetheart would be too scared anyway, and Brighteyes would just be a killjoy about the whole thing. Should we invite Lancer?" Patch asked Ace, who shrugged.

"What do you mean, Sweetheart will be scared and Bee will be a killjoy?" Bon Bon asked, unsure what they were talking about.

"Nothing," Patch quickly said, patting Bon Bon on the shoulder. "Nothing at all."

"I don't know about Lancer," Ace said, frowning. "I don't know if he'd be into it."

"Of course he will, he has a good adventuring spirit!" Patch replied. "Go and tell him he's coming," she said, leaving no room for disagreement.

"Fine," Ace replied, "I'll see you back home in half an hour?" He called to Patch before walking in the opposite direction.

"Sure!" She yelled back, before turning her gaze on a questioning Bon Bon. "Trust me, you will enjoy what Ace and I have planned," she said, before telling the two girls that she had to go and meet up with Melody.

"Have fun tonight," Starlight said jokingly to Bon Bon, who groaned.

"I don't know if I want to go anymore," Bon Bon replied, though of course she would.

"Oh don't worry, Bon Bon. Besides, you'll be there with Teddy. What could go wrong?" Bon Bon just groaned again. "Why don't I walk home with you so we can tell your parents about you staying at my place tonight?"

"Alright," Bon Bon said, and together the two set off for her house.

* * *

Ace found Lancer on his way to the library, tempted to not even bother asking him. He'd begun finding Lancer a little annoying lately, with the way he always seemed to have an answer for everything (even rhetorical questions). But maybe he could manage to pull a bit of a prank on him tonight if he came. That thought picked up Ace's mood as he jogged up to the other boy.

"Hey Lance, where you headed?" He asked, even though it was obvious.

"Um, the library," Lancer replied quietly, not entirely sure why he felt a little embarrassed to admit that in front of Ace.

"On a Friday? That's lame," Ace replied, hoping Lancer would cave in to peer pressure.

"Well, I was hoping to meet up with Brighteyes, she's probably going to be there working on a project," Lancer explained, though mentioning the girl did make him blush a little.

Ace shook his head and did his best to look disgusted. "Okay, that's even worse than going for yourself. Going to the library for a girl? Well, lucky for you I have a better proposition."

Lancer stopped walking, a concerned look creeping across his face. "What kind of proposition?" He asked with a bit of trepidation. Usually Ace's propositions ended terribly for him.

Ace grinned and slung one arm around the other boy's shoulders. "You heard that Patch's parents are away for the weekend, right?"

"Yeah," Lancer answered.

"Well, a few of us are spending the night there. Patch and I have come up with a really cool game we want to play," Ace answered, challenging gaze levelled at Lancer. The other boy squirmed and Ace tightened his arm. "We need an equal number of girls and guys, and right now we need one more guy. You are not backing out on me, Lance."

"I can't back out if I never committed in the first place," Lancer replied, knowing full well that this idea of theirs was going to go horribly for him. The only thing worse than an idea of Ace's was an idea that came from Ace AND Patch!

"Don't be a wimp, Lance. Unless you want me to tell Teddy that you chickened out before even hearing the idea."

Lancer gulped, wanting to refuse but knowing that he wouldn't. Looking bad in front of one of his friends wasn't cool, but he couldn't handle both of them teasing him! "Alright, fine. I'll come."

Ace grinned and squeezed his shoulder. "Excellent. I'll tell Teddy to come by and pick you up on his way," Ace said before untangling his arm from around the other boy and turning to head back the other way.

Lancer watched him walk off, a little stunned at the sudden departure. "Ace, hold on!" He yelled. "What time tonight?"

Ace didn't bother looking back. "I'll get Teddy to text you," he yelled back, before turning onto another street.

Lancer stood there in shock, feeling a little put out. Typical Ace, he thought. Always the one to insist on the invite, but never the one to offer any actual details. With a frown Lancer turned and resumed his course for the library, though he wasn't sure if he even felt like going anymore.

* * *

"We have assembled you here tonight in order to try out a new game," Patch began, standing by the fireplace. She looked around at her friends and couldn't help but grin maliciously. She really hoped no one was going to back out.

"You brought us here to play a game?" Teddy asked with a laugh, clearly not impressed. "I thought we were just going to party."

Patch didn't let his comment faze her. "Oh this isn't just any old boring game, Teddy."

"You're not going to make us play 7 Minutes In Heaven, are you?" Melody groaned, making the comment mostly to annoy Patch. She'd begged both Patch and Ace to tell her what they had planned, but neither of them had caved. She'd even offered to go out on a date with Ace if he told her, but sadly he'd just laughed at the offer and told her she'd have to wait.

Patch glared at her best friend and shook her head. "No! Not unless you keep interrupting with questions," she replied.

"So, if we do keep interrupting then you will make us go in the closet and make out?" Teddy said, grinning at Bon Bon while making the comment. His girlfriend did her best to look offended.

"Yeah, but we'll make you go in with Lancer," Ace said, which got laughs from Melody and Bon Bon, a glare from Teddy, and a frightened look from Lancer.

"Ace!" Patch yelled, levelling him with a glare. "We're kind of on a time line, here!"

Ace grinned at her and winked. "Right, sorry. Carry on."

When everyone's attention focused back on Patch, she continued. "The game starts at midnight, and it lasts until three thirty three A.M."

"Three and a half hours?" Teddy groaned.

"Teddy!" Patch snapped.

"One more comment and you're in the closet with Lancer," Ace said.

"Shut up, both of you!" Patch yelled, clearly annoyed. When both boys apologized and promised to be quiet, she continued. "It's called the Midnight Game, and if you can all manage to keep your mouths shut, I'll explain the rules." She paused before continuing, making sure no one else was going to interrupt her. "Ace, pass out the papers," she said, before explaining the game. "The first thing everyone has to do is write their name down in full on your piece of paper. First, middle, and last name. When you're done, jab a needle into your finger, because you need a drop of blood on your paper." Patch looked around at her friends, ensuring no one was going to make any comments. Bon Bon looked a little frightened, and Lancer was trying not to. Melody and Teddy just looked properly confused.

"After you finish that, then you put your piece of paper outside in front of the door, light a candle, and put the candle on the paper. Then as a group we come back inside, close the door, and knock on it exactly twenty two times. We only have one minute to do this, so there is absolutely no time for screwing around, understood? Once we finish knocking we open the door and each blow out our candles, picking them up and taking them back inside and re-lighting them. Then the game has begun. We've summoned the Midnight Man." She paused then, looking around again. Ace had finished passing out papers, pencils, and candles.

"Anyone have any questions?" Ace asked, now standing beside Patch.

"Yeah," Teddy said quickly. "This is dumb. Why are we doing it?"

Ace tried not to laugh while Patch glared at Teddy and answered. "It's not dumb, and I haven't finished explaining it yet! Once we summon the Midnight Man, we have to keep moving throughout the house, which will be completely dark except for our candles. The goal is to not get caught and make it through the night."

"What happens if we do get caught?" Lancer asked.

"The Midnight Man will make you hallucinate about your worst fears," Patch explained, her eyes lit up in excitement. "There are a few ways to know if he's near. If you suddenly feel really cold, then he's close by. If you start to hear whispers, it's him. If you see a pure black outline of a man, he's there. But the most important sign is if your candle goes out." Patch paused again, looking around.

"If your candle goes out," Ace jumped in, "You have ten seconds to relight it. If you fail to do that, then you must surround yourself with a circle of salt, and you cannot leave the circle until the game is over. While the game is going on, you cannot stand in one spot, or else he'll find you. You cannot turn on any lights, you cannot leave the house, and you absolutely should not taunt the Midnight Man." He looked around at his friend's faces, grinning when he saw that everyone (even Teddy, though he was trying to hide it) looked freaked out at the idea.

"Are there any more questions?" Patch asked, crossing her arms and looking smug. She and Ace had been waiting for this all week!

"I don't know if I want to play this," Bon Bon said quietly. "Isn't it like, actual spirit summoning when you use blood?"

"Don't tell me you believe this crap?" Teddy spoke up, turning to look at his girlfriend. "It's not real, Bon Bon. Ace and Patch are just trying to scare you."

"So that means you're not afraid to play then, are you, Teddy?" Patch asked, grinning in triumph. Teddy had actually been her biggest concern. He was always up for adventure, but if he thought something was dumb, he tried hard to get out of it.

"Not at all! I'll play your stupid little game," Teddy replied, "And so will Bon Bon!"

Bon Bon didn't say anything, frowning at Teddy.

"Anyone else?" Ace asked, directing his gaze at Lancer, challenging him to either play, or suffer the torment of being teased about wimping out. No one else spoke up in protest. "Excellent. I'll pass out lighters and saltshakers." Ace had prepared in advance for this portion of the night, buying six different coloured lighters. He'd purposefully drained the majority of the lighter fluid from Lancer's lighter, intent on scaring the crap out of him later. He'd contemplated doing it to Teddy as well, but decided he'd rather get more creative for the other boy.

"All right guys, it's five minutes to midnight, so we should all write our names on our papers and get that drop of blood. Ace, can you go around and turn off all the lights?" Patch requested, and Ace left the room to do a sweep of the house. While he was gone the others wrote their names down, and one by one everyone started pricking their fingers.

"Guys I really don't know about this," Bon Bon said one last time, holding the needle in her fingers, looking nervous. "I don't think I can even prick my finger."

Teddy reached for her hand. "I'll help you!" He said, with a little more enthusiasm than Bon Bon could handle.

"No way Teddy, you'll probably prick an artery," Melody said with a laugh. "I'll help you, B. I have quite a bit of experience with needles." Melody's mother was a nurse, and had taught her daughter how to safely do a number of medical procedures. She grabbed the pin and gently took hold of her friend's hand, quickly pricking the skin open to draw a small dot of blood. She took Bon Bon's paper and pressed it down against her finger. "There," Melody said, handing the paper back to her friend, "All done!"

Bon Bon frowned and held the paper. "Yeah, thanks, I guess." Ace returned as everyone finished, proclaiming that the only light in the house was the lamp Patch had on the table, and once he finished with his paper, that would be turned off. He made quick work of his slip of paper, and soon everyone was sitting in silence, looking at Patch.

She grinned and reached for the lamp, clicking it off. "All right guys, it's time. Everyone have your candles and lighters and salt?" Everyone confirmed they did, and Patch moved for the front door. "Time is exactly the stroke of midnight, so let's hustle!" She opened the door and everyone followed her to the front porch, laying the papers in front of the door, lighting their candles, and then heading back inside. Patch closed the door. "Okay guys, on my command, we all knock together, twenty two times. We'll start in five seconds, four, three, two, one – go!" All six friends knocked in rhythm on the wooden front door twenty two times, upon which Patch opened the door again and knelt to blow out her candle. Everyone followed suit before picking the columns of wax up and heading back into the house, where Patch instructed them to relight their candles.

"Okay guys, time to disperse and move about! Remember, don't stay in one place! If your candle goes out, you have ten seconds to relight it – if you don't make it, surround yourself in a circle of salt and do not leave it. I set the timer on my watch for three thirty three, so I will let everyone know when the time is up!" She grinned in the glow of her candle, looking at Ace and winking.

"Remember the signs! If you feel suddenly cold, if you hear whisperings, if you see a dark outline, those are all signs the Midnight Man is near! Don't panic, keep your heads together." Ace wasn't sure how he kept from laughing as he spoke, too excited at the prospect of pranking the others throughout the night.

"Can we stay together?" Bon Bon asked nervously.

"It's not a good idea," Patch replied, "It'll make it easier for him to find you. But it is your discretion, though. Just make sure you have your lighter and your salt handy," she said, before moving away from the group. She saw Melody already heading for the stairs, glad that her best friend was so into this.

"Whatever, this is dumb," Teddy said, before moving off down the hall.

"I'll stick with you for now, Bon Bon," Lancer said, feeling just as nervous as Bon Bon.

"Thanks, Lancer. Maybe it won't be as creepy this way."

* * *

**(Ace)**

Leaving the group at the first possible moment, Ace headed for the stairs to the basement. He figured the others would likely avoid it as much as possible in the dark, but he had plans. The first one was to slip out through the cellar door and make his way around to the front door, opening and closing it loudly. Hopefully everyone would have moved off by then already. He blew out his candle and made his way through the basement, having memorized where everything was earlier in the evening.

He got to the other side of the room in record time, slowly and quietly opening the cellar door and stepping outside. He paused, his ears alert, listening for any noises. Nothing except a few crickets and a car driving off in the distance. He kept low to the ground, trying to stick to the shadows, and skirted his way around the house. He crept up onto the porch, looking in through the window. He didn't see the glow of any candles, so he quickly opened the front door, letting it creak twice, before pulling it shut again – purposefully slamming it. He grinned to himself when he heard a scream – Bon Bon, go figure – and dove off the porch, sprinting back to the cellar door.

As soon as he was back in the basement he re-lit his candle, quickly making his way back to the stairs, taking them two at a time. He burst out from the basement to see Bon Bon and Lancer standing in the hallway, Bon Bon shaking.

"What happened?" Ace asked, doing his best to appear concerned instead of amused.

"We heard the door open," Lancer said, "But there was no one there."

"Where's everyone else?" Ace asked, frowning. "It better not have been Teddy messing around."

"Excuse you, jerkface? I was upstairs," Teddy said, on his way down the stairs. "Ask Melody if you don't believe me." She was right behind him, her eyes wide in the candle light.

"You okay Bon Bon?" Melody asked, concerned.

"I'm okay," the other girl replied, though she didn't sound like she was.

"Where's Patch?" Teddy asked, looking around. "It was probably her."

"What was me?" Patch asked, coming from down the hall. "I was in my room."

"The front door," Ace replied, staring at her. "Bon Bon and Lancer heard it open, but no one was there when they went to investigate."

Patch grinned. "Then it was him," she replied with a laugh – half excited and half nervous.

"Who?" Teddy asked, looking annoyed.

"The Midnight Man," Patch replied. "Did I forget to explain that part? When you hear the front door open, it means he's in the house."

"And that means that we had better split the hell up right now," Ace replied, heading back to the basement stairs.

"Come on Lancer," Bon Bon said, taking his hand and pulling him toward the stairs to the second floor. He followed quickly behind her, leaving Teddy standing there staring at them, looking annoyed.

"What's she holding his hand for?" Teddy asked under his breath, before shaking his head and moving to the back of the house.

That left Melody and Patch, who looked at each other and let out a bit of a laugh. Melody moved closer to her best friend, grinning slightly. "The door was you, right?" she asked, certain of it.

Patch shook her head. "How the hell could I get from the back of the house to the front that quickly? The only door at the back is on the patio, you guys would have heard me jumping on the deck."

Melody frowned. "Ace? There is a door in the basement, right?"

"Yeah, but we keep that padlocked, you know how paranoid my dad is about safety," Patch replied, looking around the hall.

"Fuck," Melody whispered. "This isn't actually real, is it?" she asked, unsure how she felt about it.

Patch shrugged. "That remains to be seen," she winked at Melody before backing down the hall. "We should get moving, though."

Melody nodded, watching as Patch retreated back the way she'd come from. As for Melody – she was going to check out the front door.


	2. The First Hour

**The Second Hour******

(Melody)

Standing alone in the middle of the living room, Melody listened intently for any whispers, remembering well the signs of the spirit. She wasn't really sure whether or not she believed in any of this stuff, spirits and ghosts and rituals, but she was open to the possibility. As she remained standing still she felt a sudden chill, her skin prickling in fear and goosebumps. She remembered that standing still was a sure way for the spirit to find you, so she took a deep breath and slowly blew it from her lips, trying to keep herself calm.

But then her candle went out.

Letting out a tiny whimper, she pulled her lighter out from her pocket, counting to ten in her head. She managed to relight her candle by the number seven (she'd fumbled with the lighter a little) and raised it in front of her, looking around for a figure. She saw nothing, heard nothing – and suddenly realized that she'd actually blown her own candle out. She let out a bit of a laugh and shook her head at her own stupidity. She'd have to be careful about keeping her candle away from the front of her face.

She moved toward the door, standing still before it, her hand reaching for the door knob. She remembered the rule – you can't leave the house, and wondered suddenly if you could open the door? She wasn't sure if she really wanted to. Would it ruin the game a little, looking outside? Then she heard a sound – a clicking, just twice, sort of similar to the sound a dog's nails would make on hard wood.

Her hand lingered on the door knob and she started feeling a little nervous. She waited, wondering if she'd heard the noise again. Had it come from outside? It hadn't been behind her, that much she knew. What if there was something on the front porch? Did the Midnight Man have a dog? Some big scary wolf hound? Maybe a Doberman? Is that why you weren't allowed to leave? Because something would be outside, guarding the door?

Now she knew she was letting her imagination get the better of her, concocting all of these ridiculous ideas about spirits. If it was anything, it was probably someone's pet, or maybe a raccoon. It was not a spirit demon dog!

Should she open the door to check? Just to be sure? She was tempted – but on the other hand, what if there really was something outside? Demon spirit or live animal, what if she opened the door and it came inside the house? They'd be running around in the dark with a wild raccoon! Not good.

Just then she heard a creaking sound behind her and realized she'd been standing in one place for a few minutes. Was he coming for her? She gripped her candle and was about to call out to see who was there when she heard the clicking sound again from outside. It was close – right outside the door! She let go of the door knob and took a step back before remembering the creaking sound she'd heard moments ago and was about to spin around when a hand grabbed her arm! She screamed shrilly and turned, expecting to see just a black figure – but she didn't.

It was just Ace.

He grinned and cocked one eyebrow at her, looking smug. "And what exactly were you doing with your hand on the door knob, Mel?" He asked, clearly amused at having scared her.

Now fully recovered she reached out and punched him in the arm – probably a little harder than she should have, but she thought he deserved it. "You asshole," she whispered at him, but secretly felt relieved he was there. She'd been letting her imagination run wild again.

Ace rubbed his arm with his free hand. "Fuck, Mel, you should take up boxing, you've got a solid right hand," he replied with a laugh. "Seriously though, what were you doing at the door?"

Melody grinned at his comment, not angry any more. At his question though she wondered if maybe he'd heard the noises too. "I could hear a clicking sound outside, sounded like a dog walking. Did you hear it?"

Ace shook his head – then again he hadn't been paying much attention to sounds from outside. He'd been too focused on trying to creep up behind Melody. "No, sorry. Think the Midnight Man may have a demon hound outside or something?" he asked with a grin.

Melody shrugged – it did sound quite dumb to say it out loud. "Probably just a raccoon." She stared at him for a moment, neither of them looking away, and she couldn't help but feel just a tiny flutter of nervous tension in her stomach. She knew he'd had a crush on her for years now, but it hadn't really been until recently that she'd started seeing him a different light. They weren't little kids any more, especially not Ace. She thought it was kind of funny that even though he was technically, by way of birthdays, the youngest guy in the class, he actually looked the oldest. She'd spent so long ignoring his advances that she hadn't even noticed that he was actually really hot – not until she'd seen him out on a date with Holly Matheson, a girl in the eight grade who tended to land all the starring roles in the drama club's productions. She'd been surprised to find out that seeing Ace with another girl had made her jealous.

And now here they were, alone in Patch's house, in the dark, only two candles giving them light, and she was tempted to lean forward and kiss him. But the moment was interrupted by footsteps in the hall.

"Enough flirting over there, you two," Patch practically yelled at them, making her way into the living room. "There are plenty of rooms if you require a little privacy," she said sarcastically.

Melody leaned back, blushing, before looking over at her best friend. "Shut up, Patch," she said, a little embarrassed even though they hadn't been doing anything. She glanced back at Ace, feeling a little annoyed when she saw that he was grinning at her. She glared at him before moving away, heading for the back hallway. "Enough standing around in one spot for me," she said quietly as she moved off, both annoyed and relieved that Patch had shown up. Did she really want to kiss Ace? Especially tonight? She needed to give that time to develop.

* * *

**(Patch)**

Patch watched Melody wander off down the hall before making her way over to Ace, who was busy grinning like the king of the world. "What are you all excited about?" she asked him, though she knew what he'd say. She'd seen the way Melody had been staring at him.

Ace just shrugged, doing his best to look nonchalant. "Nothing," he said, though he knew it was pointless to lie to Patch. She knew how he felt about Melody. After all – she had been the one to suggest that if he wanted to really get her attention, then he should go out on a date with someone super popular, like Holly Matheson. He'd thought it was a stupid idea at the time, but she'd convinced him to try it. He'd been forced to admit that Patch was right, because the very next day Melody had almost seemed like she was glued to him, giving him very flirtatious smiles and even making a point of touching his arm a few times during the day when they were talking.

And now he was certain that if Patch hadn't shown up, he and Melody would have kissed. He was kind of annoyed with Patch, but relieved at the same time. He did want to kiss Melody tonight – but not yet. He needed more time to move around on his own after all. They had another three hours.

Patch shook her head at his answer, before turning and heading for the door to the basement. "Just be good to her, Ace," Patch said in mock warning. "I don't want to have to beat you up." She turned to look back at him and grinned when she saw him laughing. She gave him a wave before descending into the darkness of the basement.

She walked down the stairs slowly, lifting her candle around to try and penetrate the darkness of the basement. Her parents had boxes stacked throughout the room, a half-assed attempt to go through old things and decide what to get rid of and what to keep. It had started out well enough, but then her mother had started second-guessing herself, and she'd restarted the whole process. Then her father had gotten involved, and they'd started arguing, and now the end result was stacks of boxes everywhere.

She paused at one, seeing an old picture album. She looked around in the darkness, listening for sounds, but hearing nothing. Should she take a chance and stand around for a bit, looking through old pictures? She brought out her lighter, holding it in her right hand just in case.

She set the candle down on the box and opened the album on top. Her eyes immediately took in a picture that made her smile. It must have been at least five or six years old, and showed her and Ace and Teddy and Bon Bon standing by a lake. She could imagine the sort of picture her mom had been trying to take, but unfortunately it hadn't turned out quite so good. There was a swan in the lower right corner of the picture, and all four of them in the photo had screwed up faces – from yelling. Patch remembered the moment – the swan had stolen Teddy's hot dog.

She'd have to take the picture out and show it to everyone later. She flipped a page, seeing more pictures from the day, snapshots that made her feel warm. After the lake day there were pictures from a soccer tournament – most of which consisted of her and Ace. As she continued to flip through the album she didn't notice her candle flickering, too engrossed in old memories. Suddenly it went out and the warm feeling she'd felt moments ago disappeared into icy cold fear. She made a grab for her candle but ended up knocking it off the box instead.

"Fuck!" She yelled as she brought her lighter to life, looking around the floor for the candle. She found it and grabbed it, bringing the lighter to the wick, waiting for it to catch. She finally got it lit and stood up immediately, looking around wildly. She left the album there and walked further into the room, holding the candle high and looking around, wondering if it was actually the spirit, or just a draft, that had snuffed her candle out. She wasn't sure if she actually wanted to know.

She didn't hear anything (at least nothing down here) and didn't see any shapes in the darkness. She felt nervous and jittery though, so for the time being she abandoned the photo album and made her way to the stairs, walking back up into the house and closing the door behind her. On second thought, maybe she ought to leave it open? She didn't know what she'd do if it opened on its own.

* * *

**(Teddy)**

Teddy prowled through the bottom of the house, holding his candle in one hand and an ice cream sandwich he'd liberated from the freezer in his other. If he had to play this stupid game, the least Patch could do was feed him. He'd already done a complete check of the upper floor, walking through Patch's parents bedroom, her mother's craft room, her father's work room, and the spare bedroom. Teddy thought it was kind of stupid that a family of three lived in a house with so many rooms (Patch's bedroom and a second guest room were downstairs). Sure, they were small rooms, but still separate rooms!

He lived in a crappy little semi-detached bungalow with his mom, his step-dad, and two step-sisters. The girls shared a room, and Teddy was crammed into a tiny room beside the bathroom, so he could always hear it whenever anyone was in there. He hated it.

So of course he'd jumped at the idea of spending a night away (especially in a house with no parents) and even though he had to play a stupid game, it was okay. Still better than sitting in his room listening to his family argue. He'd been excited too when Bon Bon had said she was coming, because he'd been hoping that maybe they'd get to be alone, and maybe he'd get to kiss her again.

He scowled when he thought about it, though. She was off in the house somewhere with Lancer. Why was she with Lancer and not him? Okay, maybe he should have asked her if she wanted to stick together at first when they'd started, instead of stomping off on his own. He should have known she'd be scared – she was a girl, after all. Girls always got scared in the dark.

And the way she'd grabbed Lancer's hand! It boiled Teddy, thinking about it. Maybe he should go and find them and tell Lancer to get lost, that he'd stay with Bon Bon. She was his girlfriend, after all. Not Lancer's! Lancer didn't even like her that way, at least Teddy didn't think he did. Lancer always seemed to be going after Brighteyes – which Teddy didn't understand. Brighteyes was a total nerd. Sure, Lancer was kind of a nerd too, which Teddy always teased him about, but he was still kind of cool. He was Teddy's best friend, after all. Well, after Ace, of course. Plus Lancer was rich – so he could date any girl he wanted!

He could even date Bon Bon, if he really wanted to... Teddy crammed the rest of the ice cream sandwich into his mouth, feeling rather angry at the moment. Fine. Let Bon Bon and Lancer go off on their own! Let them spend the next three hours wandering around in the dark together! See if he cared! He wasn't good enough for Bon Bon anyway, he'd always known it! He didn't even think her parents liked him!

Whatever. Lancer could have her.

Just then he heard a noise behind him and he whipped around, glaring down the hall, wondering who was there. No way did he think for a second that it was the stupid Midnight Man. That was so lame! He watched as two figures shuffled forward, holding candles in front of them. Go figure.

"Teddy!" Bon Bon cried out, relief in her voice. She let go of Lancer's arm and bounded forward, wrapping her arms around her boyfriend. Teddy, who'd been intending to say something rude to the pair when he noticed them, was temporarily stunned into silence.

"Uh, hey Bon Bon," Teddy replied, unsure what to make of this. Why was Bon Bon hugging him? In the whole three weeks that they'd been dating, she'd hugged him maybe three times? Four? She wasn't really into displaying her affection, which was perfectly fine with Teddy.

Seeming to notice her strange behaviour, Bon Bon pulled back then and smiled at him in an embarrassed sort of way. "Um, sorry, I've just been kinda freaked out... I'm just happy I found you," she practically whispered.

Teddy grinned, forgetting that he had been angry earlier. After all – she hadn't been hugging Lancer, had she? "Don't tell me you believe this stuff, Bon Bon? I'm telling you, it's totally made up."

Lancer came up to the pair then, looking nervous. "I don't know, Teddy. Summoning spirits when you use blood has had quite a bit of evidence of actually-"

"Wow, who invited Brighteyes?" Teddy replied sarcastically, not caring at the moment if he made Lancer look stupid. Bon Bon wasn't interested in him. That's all that mattered. He looked back at his girlfriend. "Hey, you want an ice cream sandwich? There's a whole box in the freezer, the expensive ones!"

"Did you ask Patch?" Bon Bon asked, looking at her boyfriend in shock.

"No, but if we have to play this stupid game, the least she can do is let us eat her food. Come on, I'll get you one." Teddy grabbed her hand, not really giving her a choice, pulling her along into the kitchen, pointedly not inviting Lancer. He was a guy, after all, he'd understand that Teddy wanted some time alone with his girlfriend.

* * *

**(Lancer)**

Lancer watched as Teddy and Bon Bon disappeared, feeling annoyed. Typical Teddy, trying to make fun of him when he was explaining something. But he didn't really blame him, because he understood why Teddy did it. Teddy wasn't really that smart, Lancer knew his friend barely got good enough grades to pass. He wasn't sure if Teddy had some kind of learning disorder, or if he just didn't try hard, but the bottom line was that anyone who was intelligent intimidated Teddy.

Maybe if Bon Bon hadn't been there, Teddy wouldn't have said anything. In that regard he was a typical teenage boy – he always wanted to look cool to his girlfriend, and would sacrifice anyone to make it happen. It wasn't personal, Lancer knew that. Maybe he'd stop doing it if Lancer ever asked him to, but he didn't. It didn't really bother him that much anyway, to be honest. He understood how his friendship with Teddy worked.

For now though he put those thoughts out of his head and moved down the hall, heading toward the living room. There was someone else in there – Patch, and she was standing by the door, listening.

"Hey Patch," Lancer said, moving closer to her. "Anything crazy happen to you so far?"

Patch turned to look at him, a smile on her face. "I totally had an encounter in the basement," she said, her face lit up.

Lancer's eyes were wide as he stood before her, wondering if she was telling the truth. "What happened?" He asked.

"I was looking through an old photo album, just standing there, waiting to see if he really would come out," Patch began explaining, sounding confident, "It got super cold all of a sudden, like shiver-worthy! Then two seconds later my candle went out!" Patch stepped closer to Lancer, holding her candle closer to her face. "It was the creepiest thing I've ever felt in my life, Lancer! I was scrambling to get my lighter out, and I swore I heard footsteps! Finally got it lit, and no word of a lie, I totally saw a dark figure walking backwards, away from me. Fuck, it still gives me chills," she said, grinning excitedly.

Lancer had a feeling she was embellishing, but wasn't about to call her out on it. "So then what happened?" he asked, wondering what had really happened.

"What happened? What do you think happened?" She asked, pausing for effect. "I turned around and ran upstairs! Slammed the door behind me. I am not about to go down into that basement for a while," she stated.

"Have you been here since?" Lancer asked, looking back down the hall. The basement door was wide open. He thought it had felt slightly chilly when he'd walked by it, though he'd assumed that was just because basements were naturally colder. Heat rises, after all.

Patch nodded. "Yeah. I heard the door creak open a minute after I came up, but I watched and I don't think anything came up, not that I can really see much over there, but at least if anything came this way I could dart upstairs, you know?"

Lancer nodded, looking back in the direction of the basement. "Well, I came from the kitchen, and nothing was there. So maybe it's still downstairs?"

"Probably," Patch replied. "Maybe we should get Teddy to go down and check it out," she said with a laugh.

"He's in the kitchen with Bon Bon," Lancer replied, unsure if it was his place to say anything, but unable to help himself. "He's eating your ice cream sandwiches," he said, happy it was dark so she couldn't see him blush. He didn't want to get Teddy in trouble, but it was really disrespectful to take someone's food without being offered.

"Oh is he?" Patch asked, crossing her arms. "Wish I could say I'm surprised. I should go check it out before he eats everything," she said as she moved toward the hallway. "See you, Lancer!"

He watched as she left, seeing her pause and look down the basement stairs. She continued on though, and Lancer was tempted to go and close the door. If there really was a spirit of some sort in the house, would it stay confined to one room? Did spirits respect the boundaries of doors and walls? Of course not, but he thought it would make him feel a little better anyway.

* * *

**(Melody)**

Melody was in the bedroom belonging to Patch's parents, staring into the mirror above the dresser. It was a pretty sight, watching the candle flicker, illuminating the room barely enough to give the outline of her body in the mirror. She walked closer, holding the candle higher so she could see her face. Maybe some people would find it ridiculously vain, but she liked looking at herself in the mirror, because she quite liked her face. She felt lucky that she'd gotten a nice face, because that was one thing about yourself that you just couldn't change – not without a lot of plastic surgery.

When it came to faces, she definitely stood out in the crowd. It wasn't something she was necessarily proud of (because she hadn't done anything to get it, she'd just had good DNA from her parents) and it also wasn't something she was arrogant about. Well, maybe some people thought she was, but that was okay. She needed a good face if she was going to be a famous rock star, if she was going to be in music videos and on the cover of magazines. She needed a face that people would find attractive. Image was very important in music.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps in the hall, and she turned to look at the door, wondering if she should call out and ask who was there. Instead she just moved towards the door, attracted to the glow of the oncoming candle. It turned out to be Ace in the hall, and her heart was doing flips again. She stood in the doorway and smiled as he came closer.

"Hey Mel," he greeted her, coming to stand beside her.

"Hey Ace," she replied, thinking in her head that when it came to guy's faces – Ace definitely had the best one. Everything about it was perfect – especially his eyes. He probably had the most expressive eyes of any guy she knew.

"Have any encounters up here?" He asked, an amused tone to his voice.

Melody shrugged. "Nope, nothing! I'm severely disappointed, I figured I'd be curled in a ball on the floor by now," she said with a grin, wondering if they were alone up here. She knew Patch was still downstairs, but where were the others?

"Well there's still time for that," Ace said, leaning forward suddenly and blowing out her candle.

"Ace!" Melody squealed in annoyance, fumbling for her lighter but dropping it on the floor. Before she could get down to search and call herself an idiot for freaking out, Ace's lighter was there, bringing flame back to her candle.

"Watch what you wish for," Ace said, taking a step back and leaning down to pick up her lighter.

"Very funny, jerk," Melody said with a glare, though she wasn't really upset. Or rather, she was a little upset that Ace had thought of pulling the joke on her before she'd thought of doing it to him! "Now give me my lighter back," she demanded, holding her hand out.

Ace just shook his head. "No, I think I like your lighter. Maybe I'll keep it."

Melody frowned, fixing him with a glare. "No, give it back, I need it!" She said, willingly playing the game with him. She knew he wouldn't really keep her lighter – not unless he had plans to stay with her for the rest of the night. The idea had her kind of excited.

"Maybe I'll let you have it," Ace said, leaning against the wall, "But you'll have to pay me with something."

"Excuse me?" Melody asked, trying to sound annoyed. She had a feeling that she knew what he'd demand as payment, and she hoped she was right. It kind of made the whole process a little more exciting.

"Payment," he said, holding the lighter in between two fingers. "I can't just give it back to you, you need to pay me for it."

"And what sort of payment are you thinking?" Melody asked, her tone light and amused and much less nervous than she felt. But it was a good sort of nervous, an excited nervous.

Ace moved away from the wall and reached a hand out (the hand holding the lighter) and placed two fingers against Melody's cheek, looking her directly in the eyes before leaning down and pressing his lips to hers, kissing her. Melody kissed him back and could barely contain a squeal of delight – she'd been right, he'd totally used the opportunity to kiss her! The kiss was perfect, it was everything she'd imagined it would be, and the fact that it was dark and they were lit only by two candles made it even better!

Then he pulled away and she felt him press the lighter into her hand.

She stared down at it before looking back up at him, wondering if she looked as ridiculous as she felt. "Thanks," she said, though she wasn't entirely sure what she was thanking him for. For giving her lighter back? Or for making the first bold move? He just grinned at her comment and before he had a chance to say anything she was talking again. "I would have kissed you anyway," she admitted, and knew she was probably blushing. But that was okay, because there was no way he could see that.

"I know," he replied smugly, though she was willing to bet that he hadn't known that – because wouldn't he have just kissed her earlier? They stared at each other for another few seconds before Ace moved away. "We should probably stop standing in one place," he said, backing towards the stairs.

"Yeah, don't want him to find us," Melody replied.

"Be careful," he said before turning around to the stairs.

Melody just stood there and watched him go, her fingers clutching the lighter tightly. She turned and went back into the bedroom, going back to the mirror. She felt beyond happy as she stared back at her smiling face, wondering if she should tell anyone about the kiss. She'd keep it to herself for now – it would be her own little ward against the shadows.


	3. The Second Hour

**The Second Hour******

(Ace)  
  
Ace walked down the stairs but stopped in the middle, one hand on the rail, the other gripping his candle. There wasn't anyone around and he desperately needed a minute to himself. He couldn't believe he'd just pulled that off! He'd finally kissed her – really kissed her! It wasn't that he'd been doubtful that she would, because Patch had been right, ever since Melody had seen him on a date with Holly, she'd been attached to him.

But he'd just taken a gamble up there, because what if she had refused? What if she had sensed how nervous he was (because he'd been ridiculously nervous, though he thought he'd done a good job of covering it up) and had refused to kiss him? What if she'd told him just to give her her lighter back? What if she'd turned her cheek at the last second? What if someone had come bounding up the steps and ruined it?

It had definitely been a gamble, but it had totally paid off. And her admission at the end? That she would have kissed him anyway, even without the necessity of trading a kiss for the lighter? That had been half the reason why he'd backed off down the stairs. He didn't want her to see how happy that admission made him. Even though she had to know, because he'd been into her for a long time, and she'd ignored him for most of it. But persistence paid off, and now, if everything went according to plan, she'd be his girlfriend by the end of the weekend. If she wasn't already? He wasn't sure what she thought about that. Maybe he'd ask Patch.

So he remained standing on the stairs, beyond happy with how the night was going so far. He'd managed to freak everyone out by opening and slamming the front door, and now he'd kissed Melody. All that was left was pranking Teddy and Lancer. Lancer would be easy, Ace knew he just needed a good opportunity for that one. Teddy would be a little harder, though. Ace had an idea in his head, but getting it to happen would require way more effort on his part.

So he'd try for Lancer first.

He came down the stairs, heading quickly into the living room, eyes scanning to confirm no one was in there already. He couldn't see any glowing candles, so he quickly blew his own out and made his way over to the corner of the room, reaching under the couch to pull out a black sweater and a ski mask that he'd stashed earlier. He slipped them on and crept to the door, looking out, making sure there was no one down the hall. He couldn't see anything, no glowing candles, so he quickly opened the front door and stepped outside. He ran around the house to the cellar door, hoping no one was down in the basement. He'd have to be very careful about this part.

He got to the door and crouched down close to the ground, wishing he'd thought to leave a curtain slightly ajar. There was nothing he could do about that now, though, so he just made his way to the stairs, heading down to the door and taking the doorknob in his left hand, turning it ever so slowly, listening carefully for any sounds from within. There was nothing, though, and he couldn't believe his luck when he pulled the door open fully and stepped inside, not seeing any glowing candles. It seemed he was right – no one was expressing much interest in the basement. He made his way over to the left corner, flicking his lighter on quickly to make sure the space was still clear. It was, so he left his candle there. On second thought he pulled out the salt shaker and made a quick salt circle in the corner for use later on. For now, though, he made his way to the stairs, pleased when he saw that the door was still open.

He started climbing the stairs quietly, hoping he could get out into the hallway before anyone came down this way. He paused at the top, peering out carefully down the hall, seeing that the coast was clear. He wondered which way he ought to go – second floor or kitchen? He figured Melody would still be upstairs, so he'd leave that area alone for now. Probably smarter not to climb stairs (or run down them hastily) without his candle. Kitchen and back of the house it was!

He walked slowly down the hall, eyes alert and looking for any softly glowing candles. There weren't any in the kitchen, so he moved down the hall, pausing when he heard whispering voices from behind a closed over door. Teddy and Bon Bon. Perfect.

He reached out with one hand, slowly pushing the door so it swung open inch by inch, a slow creak. He heard a loud gasp from inside – Bon Bon, followed by an annoyed curse – Teddy. He could see the glow of their candles, they were luckily on the other side of the room. He stepped into the door, knowing they wouldn't be able to see much of him, just an outline, and promptly grabbed the door and pulled it shut. He then ran down to the end of the hall, into the family room, where he crouched down behind the couch, hoping Teddy wouldn't come running out of the room. Hoping Bon Bon would plead and cry for him to stay with her.

Something even better than that happened, though – Lancer came out of the other bedroom, the one closer to the family room. Ace watched as he stood in the hall, looking down towards the other room that Teddy and Bon Bon were in, clearly listening in on them. So Ace stood up and took a gamble, moving quickly towards Lancer.

When Lancer noticed he let out a rather girlish scream and turned, running down the hall. He ended up running directly into Teddy, who was finally coming out of the room. As much as he wanted to stick around and hear, Ace knew he had to get out of the family room. So he quickly unlocked the patio door and slipped outside, hoping he could manage to jump off the patio and get to the basement before Teddy came down the hall and noticed him.

Luck seemed to be on his side, as he landed on the grass and made his way back into the basement. He pulled off the sweater and ski mask and made his way back to the corner where he'd left his candle, though on the way he banged his knee into a table and had to keep his mouth firmly clamped shut so he didn't curse from the pain. He thought it was worth it, though. He dropped the clothing behind a box and picked up the candle and lighter, lighting it up and moving away from that corner, pausing to shift a box into the path he'd created. He didn't want someone coming down here and walking into his salt circle.

Now he just contemplated what to do next – should he go bounding up the stairs, or wait here? Or maybe try to slip in through the front door and head upstairs? He paused at the bottom of the stairs for the time being, listening as Lancer and Teddy yelled at each other and Bon Bon sobbed hysterically. It was all he could do to keep from laughing.

Just then he noticed a figure go walking by the door – Patch. He decided to follow her. She heard him coming up the stairs and paused, breaking into a grin when she saw him. "Did you hear that? Lancer and Teddy yelling?"

Ace grinned back, looking past her and noticing Melody coming down the hall after Patch. "Yeah, let's go check it out?" He looked back at Patch, who winked at him and left first, which allowed Ace to wait a moment for Melody.

"Tonight is just full of excitement, isn't it?" She asked as she got near, not looking worried at all about her friends' yelling. Ace figured she must still be excited over their kiss earlier, and he felt great about that.

"Definitely. I just feel jealous that Bon Bon seems to be the one getting all the attention from the spirit," he said with a laugh, not sounding worried either.

"She can have it," Melody replied, glancing down the hall after Patch before quickly closing the space between she and Ace, standing on her toes to lean against him and kiss him.

* * *

**(Teddy)**

"Come on, Lancer, you really expect me to believe that story? I know it was you, spying on Bon Bon and me! You're just jealous that she's my girlfriend and not yours!" Teddy yelled at his friend, not believing a word of Lancer's story. According to the other boy, he'd been coming to investigate after hearing Bon Bon yell and had seen a dark figure moving quickly towards him, at which point he'd run down the hall and bumped into Teddy.

"What are you talking about?" Lancer asked, flustered. "I don't like Bon Bon that way!" He couldn't believe Teddy actually thought he'd try pranking him!

"Oh? Is she not good enough for you?" Teddy asked, even though he knew that Lancer was telling the truth – at least about Bon Bon. And he didn't really think Lancer would try anything, but still, he was here at the scene of the crime. It made sense.

"No!" Lancer yelled, "I mean yes! No wait, um, there's nothing wrong with Bon Bon, I like her. As a friend!" He felt flustered and confused and bothered that Teddy was blaming him! He hadn't done anything wrong!

"Well what were you doing by our door, then, if you didn't open it and you didn't see anyone else around?" Teddy asked, intent on getting to the bottom of this.

"I told you, I saw the dark figure! He opened your door!" Lancer looked around, wondering where the figure had gone.

"He has a point, Teddy," Bon Bon said, "It was a dark figure that opened the door. We couldn't see anything except an outline, and he didn't have a candle. It must have been the Midnight Man," Bon Bon said, choking back a sob. She was terrified.

"What's going on here?" Patch yelled, coming down the hall. "The neighbours can probably hear you shouting," she stood in between Teddy and Lancer, looking back and forth between them.

"Teddy and Bon Bon were in the guest room, and someone opened the door and stood in the doorway before slamming it shut," Lancer started explaining.

"It was horrible, Patch! It was him, I know it! It was just a dark figure, he just stood there staring at us for a moment before slamming the door. The room was freezing cold and my candle almost went out!" Bon Bon said with a sniffle.

"It wasn't the stupid Midnight Man! That story's just a fake. Someone opened our door, and a few seconds later when I came out of the room I just happened to run into Lancer. He was totally trying to prank me and Bon Bon," Teddy explained.

"It wasn't me! I swear it, guys! I was by the family room, and I heard Bon Bon and she sounded upset, so I was coming to check it out. But then I saw a dark figure coming towards me from the corner so I turned and ran, and I hit Teddy when he was coming out of the room." Lancer was desperate for people to believe him. Not to mention he was kind of frightened himself from his own brush with the spirit.

"What were you and Bon Bon doing alone in the guest room anyway?" Patch asked with a grin, looking at Bon Bon.

"That's none of your business!" Teddy yelled, feeling annoyed at everyone. "Bon Bon and me can do whatever we want!" He turned around to face his girlfriend, who was glaring at him. "Come on Bon Bon, let's go investigate the family room and see if we can find Lancer's stupid ghost."

"No way!" Bon Bon said, refusing to move in the direction of the family room. "I'm going upstairs."

"Oh come on, you're not actually scared, are you?" Teddy asked, feeling annoyed when she refused to come with him. "Fine, go upstairs then," he said with a huff before moving down the hall. "Stupid girls, getting scared," he said to himself, walking into the family room and standing in the middle of it. "This is so dumb," he said out loud, looking around at the darkness.

In reality he was truly angry because he'd finally kissed Bon Bon – really kissed her! And then the stupid door had opened and had totally ruined the moment! It was so unfair. He wondered if he'd ever get to kiss her again after this disaster? Maybe he shouldn't be acting like she was stupid for being scared, but he couldn't help it. When he got angry he had trouble controlling himself. But she knew that, right? They'd been friends long enough.

Should he go and apologize?

"Well done, Teddy," Patch said, coming into the room to stand next to him. "You totally made her cry."

"You're lying!" Teddy said, turning to look at Patch, seeing her grinning.

"Okay, she wasn't crying – not yet! But she looked pretty upset. Melody and Ace took her upstairs," Patch said, looking around in the darkness.

_Ace!_

"Hey, where the hell was Ace all this time anyway? Maybe it wasn't Lancer after all!" Teddy wondered why he hadn't figured it out sooner! Of course it wasn't Lancer – he was too much of a wuss to try anything!

"Don't be stupid! Ace was probably with Melody, that was his whole reason for wanting to do this. It must have been the Midnight Man, Teddy. I know you don't believe it, but you really can summon spirits when you use blood. He's probably not too happy with you right now, so I'd watch out," Patch said, before turning and leaving him alone again.

The Midnight Man. Patch could say whatever she wanted – Teddy didn't believe a word of it.

Then again – maybe it had been Patch. After all, Teddy had just assumed it was a guy standing in the door... But maybe it had been a girl! Patch would try something like that after all.

Well. Two could play this game – Teddy was going to get her back.

* * *

**(Bon Bon)**

"What do you expect, B? You know how Teddy is," Melody said, standing at the top of the stairs and looking back at her friend.

"I know," Bon Bon said, climbing up to stand next to Melody. "It's just frustrating sometimes. He just yells things without thinking, and then wonders why anyone is upset with him after."

"Yeah well, typical guy," Melody said with a smile.

"Anyway enough about Teddy," Bon Bon said with a shake of the head, "Should we talk about other guys?" She asked, desperate to think about something happier than either Teddy's annoying habits, or this evil spirit following her around the house.

"What other guys?" Melody asked, though she knew exactly what Bon Bon was getting at.

"Oh come on, just because I was upset don't think I didn't notice you and Ace making eyes at each other," Bon Bon answered. "Did something happen?"

Melody grinned and shrugged. "We may have kissed," she said with a laugh.

"May have?" Bon Bon asked, momentarily forgetting about the game.

"More than once, I'll have you know!" Ace stated, appearing suddenly in front of the girls. "I just checked the rooms, Bon Bon. No evil spirits."

"Thanks," she said, feeling a little embarrassed that he'd actually checked. It bothered her a little that Ace was more thoughtful than her own boyfriend.

"So let's take you on a tour of the upstairs, then!" Melody said, linking arms with Bon Bon and leading her down the hall. She reached out and squeezed Ace's hand though when she passed him – happy he'd actually been sweet enough to check for spirits. She knew he didn't believe in them, so it was adorable, she thought, that he was taking Bon Bon's fear so seriously.

"Okay, let's go!" Bon Bon felt better now. She was still freaked out about everything that had happened a few minutes ago, but Melody and Ace had done a good job of cheering her up. Neither of them were afraid, and she hoped their fearlessness would rub off on her.


End file.
